Dr. Seema Imam, Ed.D.

Professor Seema Imam is a lifelong award-winning educator with service in the classroom, school administration, graduate school teacher preparation with consistent school and community leadership. Dr. Seema Imam holds numerous educational certifications, including elementary and special education teaching, school administration, and superintendent. She is a full tenured professor at National Louis University in the Chicago area, where she has been preparing educators for certification in Elementary, Middle Level, and Special Education for thirty years.

Her extensive preparation includes two Master of Arts Degrees, one in Reading and one in School Administration, as well as two Doctorates, one in Curriculum and Social Inquiry and one in Islamic Education. Dr. Imam is a former founding principal of one of the oldest and largest Islamic schools in Chicagoland where she served for five years. Before coming to the Islamic School, Seema served in the Chicago Public Schools as a classroom teacher for 16 years.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Islamic Schools League of America, where she has served for over 25 years and as Chair of the Islamic Schools League of America for 4 years. She is the co-author of numerous book chapters, a children’s book, as well as numerous articles. Her research revolves around diversity and technology. She was a faculty participant in an early Online teacher preparation program for Islamic school teachers, called, Islamic Teacher Education Program or ITEP, preparing candidates worldwide for teaching in Islamic Schools. Dr. Imam is an Administrative Consultant to the Legacy International Online High School since its beginning. Dr. Imam has served as a coach to principals, leaders and teachers as well as providing professional development for individuals and schools both online and in person.

At the university she has been elected to numerous leadership positions, Chair of the Senate, Senator, Co-chair of the National College of Education, Co-chair of the University Leadership Council, and Co-Chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council. She has served in other roles such as member of University Policy Revision Task Force, Promotion and Tenure Committee and served as chair as well. She is currently serving on the University’s Executive Initiative, the Excellence and Inclusion Task Force.

In Community Leadership, Dr. Imam has served in many capacities, most notable is 25 years of Service to the Islamic Schools League of America, serving as Chair for four years. She has co-authored published research on Belonging in Islamic Schools, as well as advised and designed research data collection reports to learn more about Islamic Schools in America, including the Islamic Schools’ Principal Report, the Islamic Schools Data Base Project report as well as others.

Dr. Imam is a researcher, a community leader, an author, speaker and activist. She lives in Chicagoland around her children and grandchildren.

Awards presented to Dr. Imam since 2008:

2025: The Islamic Schools League of America, Lifetime Service Award, presented at the Annual ISLA Retreat 2025 on December 8, 2025 in Washington DC.

2024: Lifetime Service Award, Islamic Society of North America, Council of Islamic Schools of North America’s, presented at the 25th Annual Education Forum, May 11, 2024 in Rosemont, IL.

2019: Distinguished Lifetime Educator Award, presented in November of 2019 at the Continuous Charity Banquet in Chicago, IL.